Harvested from writhing, rootlike growths near the threshold of the Abyss, Mawseed Pods are organic anomalies often feared as much as they are valued. Their fibrous exteriors twitch when exposed to heat or touch, and their interior seeds—blood-red and lined like tiny teeth—emit a faint psychic hum when cracked open.
Adventurers, deep miners, and Abyssal scholars have come to recognize the pod’s value: a natural stabilizer in the direst moments of combat. Yet the magic that fuels this boon is neither gentle nor clean—it evokes ancient pain, trauma, and abyssal hunger.
Typically sells for 100–150 gp, more in areas with heavy adventuring or limited access to healing.
Properties:
- Consumable (Raw): As a bonus action, a creature may crush and apply a Mawseed Pod to a dying creature (at 0 HP). The target is immediately stabilized (no longer making death saving throws), but must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or scream involuntarily in agonizing pain. The scream can be magically silenced or suppressed via spells such as Silence or Calm Emotions. This effect is audible up to 100 feet, potentially alerting enemies or triggering magical alarms.
Alchemy Use: Woundknit Paste
- If crushed and alchemically refined, Mawseed seeds produce Woundknit Paste, a thick, red salve used to heal 2d4 + 2 HP when applied (1 action). However, the skin hardens unnaturally, leaving behind permanent, disfiguring scars unless removed with Greater Restoration or similar magic.